MARA Act of 2025

Key Points

• Creates a new NOAA Office of Aquaculture to run offshore fish-farming research, permitting, and outreach.
• Requires NOAA to set up a time-limited “assessment program” using real-world offshore fish-farm demo projects to test safety, storm durability, pollution controls, and wildlife protections.
• Sets rules for permits: projects must use native (or long-established) species, plan for escapes and disasters, limit antibiotic use, and follow major environmental laws; states and Tribes near a project can comment or object.
• Starts grant programs to train workers and improve the industry’s public image, plus funds Aquaculture Centers of Excellence at certain colleges and universities.
• Creates grants to help protect and improve “working waterfronts” (like docks and access points), and orders independent studies and reports to guide future rules.